Traditional chatbots
Traditional chatbots work with decision trees and predefined scripts.
When a user asks a question, the chatbot looks for a match in its question-answer database. If it doesn't find an exact match, it fails.
Advantages:
- Simple to set up
- Predictable
- Good for basic FAQs
Disadvantages:
- Fails at unexpected questions
- Frustrating user experience
- Unable to handle nuances
- Constant script maintenance
- No real dialogue
AI agents
AI agents use advanced language models (LLM) to understand context and generate natural responses.
They don't look for exact matches: they understand the intent behind the question and formulate an appropriate response.
Advantages:
- Understands context and nuances
- Generates natural responses
- Handles objections
- Adapts to each conversation
- Learns from your data
Disadvantages:
- More complex initial setup
- Requires training on your data
- Higher cost (but higher ROI)
